The first, published in the Victoria Times Colonist was from Ciara Glen:

While the article addresses the need to protect children from abusive coaches, I believe there is also a need to protect coaches from such abuse.

First, the terms “bully” and “abuse” are explosive and evocative words and should be used with careful consideration. Perhaps we need to step back and take a look at how accusations can have hurtful ramifications.

Bullying can come in many forms, and as a player, I have watched many a parent bully a coach. Standards should be set for coaches, but also for parents and players. If coaches don’t have protection from the cries of “bully” or “abuse,” how can we expect people to volunteer their time to coach our youth athletic teams?

No one can deny that children need to be protected, but I believe that coaches deserve an equal right.

That brought the following response from Murray Browne, a lawyer, coach and parent of two young athletes:

Ciara Glen responded to the above article and has expressed concern for protection of coaches. Her letter demonstrates that we are long overdue for legislation and action to protect both athletes and coaches. Glen calls the term “abuse” explosive and says it must be used with consideration. She is absolutely right, but isn’t this exactly what the original writer demanded?

Sydney Stockus calls for legislation to protect athletes and draw the line between motivating vs. significantly harming them. She references crises that have harmed whole institutions such as Penn State and Rutgers University due to abusive coaching and administrative mismanagement.

Stockus states the Teacher Regulation Branch should function as a model for a Coaching Regulation Branch. The TRB has clear guidelines for educational institutions and confirms that the playing field is an “extension of the classroom”. It imposes a legal duty for teachers to be responsible for the health and safety of children and to report any abuse. However, in general coaching does not require a teaching certificate. Some sports and organizations such as Hockey Canada have excellent guidelines and certification programs but many do not. There is a glaring omission of a regulatory body to protect athletes, who are particularly vulnerable, but also coaches who may come under scrutiny. In addition, although some sports organizations carry out mid-season and end of season confidential evaluations of coaches by parents and athletes, many are not yet there.

Glen worries that terms like “bully” and “abuse” are used without understanding and may have ‘hurtful ramifications’ to coaches. Point taken, but I am far less concerned about potential hurtful ramifications to coaches than to young athletes. Yes, coaches may be made to feel uncomfortable by yelling parents. However, the coach is mostly in control of the situation. Most yelling by parents happens in public and coaches are in a position to respond. Humiliation and abuse of young athletes mostly happens in private practices where the coach is in control and the athletes are vulnerable and powerless. Abusive coaches typically create a secret society type of environment where anyone who raises concerns is a ‘whiner’ or ‘not a team player’. The coach also has the ultimate authority over whether young athletes get to play the sport they love at all. Coaches also often have significant influence over scholarships, scouting and other important aspects of an athlete’s development and future. It is in dark corners of this controlled environment that abuse thrives.

People wondered why the basketball players at Rutgers did not step up and protect themselves from abuse. As Dr. Goldberg explains in his article, “Coaching ABUSE: The dirty, not-so-little secret in sports”: “When you’re in an abusive situation you end up feeling scared a lot of the time. This fear is usually related to what the coach may say or do if you mess up or fail. The fear that you feel also compels you to want to keep things to yourself. Abusive coaches use this fear to manipulate athletes and prevent them from talking about the coaching situation with other adults who might be able to help.

I agree with Sydney Stockus: not only is an athlete conditioned to not stand up for herself, by an abusive coach, but often there’s no one to turn to, no regulatory body that will listen to the complaint and address it with the youth’s protection as a priority.

As a community, we all benefit when adults or older youth volunteer their time to work with young athletes whether it’s in extra-curricular activities in schools or church or community organizations. This spirit of volunteerism and amateur coaching is one of the great things about living in Canada. Yes, we need to support and protect our volunteer coaches. However, the absolute first priority in any coaching situation should be to create a fun, safe and healthy environment for our youth to strive and develop free from physical, sexual and emotional abuse.

Stockus began the conversation and Glen is reinforcing the key points. I am hoping that governments, schools, and athletic organizations will continue taking the necessary steps to protect both athletes and coaches.

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